Australia’s bowlers, led by Josh Hazlewood with four wickets, bundled out India for 150 on the opening day of the first Test in Perth. However, the hosts struggled even more, ending day one at 67-7, trailing by 83 runs.
India’s pacers, with Jasprit Bumrah leading the charge, capitalized on the seam-friendly pitch. Bumrah, serving as stand-in captain, delivered a stellar performance, taking 4-17 in the final session.
India’s Batting Struggles
Winning the toss and choosing to bat, India’s inexperienced lineup—missing key players like Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin—relied on Rishabh Pant (37) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (41) to add some resistance after a poor start.
The day began disastrously for India as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal were dismissed for ducks. Hazlewood (4-29) added to India’s woes by dismissing Virat Kohli for just five, continuing Kohli’s century drought.
KL Rahul (26) fell under controversial circumstances when the third umpire ruled he edged a Mitchell Starc delivery to Alex Carey, despite his bat brushing the pad. Pant’s audacious scoop for six off Pat Cummins highlighted the resistance, as he and Reddy added a crucial 48 runs.
India’s innings ended when Cummins (2-67) had Reddy caught by Usman Khawaja. Hazlewood, assisted by superb fielding, finished India’s innings with a brilliant team-catch involving Nathan McSweeney and Marnus Labuschagne.
Australia’s Turn to Struggle
Australia’s innings began poorly, with debutant McSweeney scoring just 10 before Bumrah trapped him leg-before. Bumrah continued his magic, dismissing Usman Khawaja (8) and Steve Smith for a golden duck in consecutive deliveries.
Travis Head (11) fell to Harshit Rana, who claimed his first Test wicket, while Labuschagne’s lbw dismissal gave Mohammed Siraj his second wicket of the innings. At 47-6, Australia was in deep trouble, and Bumrah returned to claim his fourth wicket when Pant caught Pat Cummins’ edge.
End of Day One
Carey (19) and Starc (6) remained unbeaten at stumps, tasked with steering Australia past their lowest score of 83 against India. Both teams had their moments, but it was a day dominated by fast bowlers on a challenging pitch.
